"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

U.S. officials: The last of the 33,000 surge troops have left Afghanistan

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 04:39 PM PDT

FILE -- In this Thursday, July 14, 2011 file photo, U.S. soldiers board a U.S. military plane, as they leave Afghanistan, at the U.S. base in Bagram north of Kabul, Afghanistan. The United States is not alone in pulling combat troops off the Afghan battlefield. More than a dozen other countries have draw down plans that combined with the U.S. withdrawal will shrink the foreign military footprint in Afghanistan by more than 40,000 troops by the close of next year. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq, File)The withdrawal, which leaves 68,000 American forces in the warzone, comes as the security transition to Afghan forces is in trouble, threatened by a spike in so-called insider attacks in which Afghan Army and police troops, or insurgents dressed in their uniforms, have been attacking and killing U.S. and NATO forces.

Mass. debate: Brown claims Warren eploited Cherokee heritage

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 05:03 PM PDT

Scott Brown Thanked Elizabeth Warren for Keeping Her Clothes OnBrown devoted his opening remarks to accuse Warren, a Harvard Law School professor who says she is part Cherokee Indian, of using her background to give her an advantage when competing for jobs throughout her career.

Billy Gillispie resigns, likely ending his head coaching career

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 05:07 PM PDT

FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2012, file photo, Texas Tech coach Billy Gillispie watches during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State in Ames, Iowa. Gillispie has been hospitalized for an undisclosed medical issue. Athletic department spokesman Blayne Beal said the 52-year-old coach was admitted to University Medical Center early Friday, Aug. 31, 2012. He declined to provide further details. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)In the two years between his abrupt firing at Kentucky and his celebrated arrival at Texas Tech, Billy Gillispie was always one of the most intriguing coaches on the market.

Elizabeth Warren vs. Scott Brown in first debate: What they need to do

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 01:17 PM PDT

Scott Brown Thanked Elizabeth Warren for Keeping Her Clothes OnFor one hour on Thursday night, the Massachusetts Senate candidates will square off on the same stage in their first televised debate – each with a formidable task to accomplish with Massachusetts voters.

Romney rips Obama on ‘can’t change Washington’ comment

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 01:46 PM PDT

Mitt Romney Fundraising Video Fallout: Obama Lead Grows in PollsMitt Romney pounded President Barack Obama for saying, "You can't change Washington from the inside" at a rally in the sweltering Sarasota heat on Thursday. And he proudly promised Florida voters that he would "get the job done" where the Democrat did not. "We face a Washington that's broken, that can't get the job done," [...]

Clinton: 'No information' Amb. Stevens was on al-Qaida 'hit list'

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 12:11 PM PDT

Clinton: 'No Info' Amb. Stevens Was on al Qaeda 'Hit List'Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today there is "no information" the American ambassador killed in a brazen attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya was on an al Qaeda hit list.

New Jersey bans smiling in driver's license photos

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 01:01 PM PDT

New Jersey Bans Smiling in Driver's License PhotosGoing to the department of motor vehicles can put a frown on anyone's face, but for New Jersey residents,  smiling is officially against the rules. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission has cracked down on drivers smiling in their driver's license photos because their smiles...

Obama to Latinos: Romney ‘uncertain’ about immigration reform plans

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 01:36 PM PDT

Obama talks to co-anchors Ramos and Salinas at town hall hosted by Univision at University of Miami in Coral GablesPresident Barack Obama, under tough questioning at a Univision-hosted forum in Miami on Thursday, defended his failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform during his first term in office. "My first priority was making sure that we prevented us from going into a Great Depression," Obama said after Univision host Jorge Ramos bluntly told the president he [...]

Video: Hero pig saves baby goat from drowning

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 02:54 PM PDT

In this video, a small pig becomes a hero when it dives into a petting zoo pond to save a drowning baby goat. This video made our day, though no one will credit the cameraman with being a hero. At the beginning of the tape, he simply says, "goat in the water," and then continues [...]

$10 million worth of art, wine and watches stolen from house

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 12:29 PM PDT

A man returned to his home in Santa Monica, Calif., after a trip and found that his house had been burglarized. But this wasn't just an ordinary "They took my TV!" type of crime. In this case, the crooks made off with more than $10 million in cars, jewelry, paintings and cash. The victim, investment [...]

U.S. Postal Service asks Floridians to stop crashing into post offices

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 02:35 PM PDT

The U.S. Postal Service has taken the unusual step of releasing a set of helpful tips to help reduce the number of drivers in Florida who have been crashing their cars into post offices. This year so far, eight drivers have crashed into post offices in Central Florida alone. Local ABC affiliate WWSB7 reports that [...]

Hawk flies into car, lands in driver’s lap

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 01:56 PM PDT

A red-tailed hawk that flew into a car traveling on a highway in Connecticut—landing on the driver's lap—has been released back into the wild. Dan Caitlin was driving along the Merritt Parkway in Trumbull, Conn., last week when the hawk flew into the windshield of his car, bounced off the side window and fell into [...]

Clinton forms panel to investigate Libya attack

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 02:39 PM PDT

U.S. Secretary of Hillary Clinton speaks at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop in DakarThe panel is generally required by law when someone is killed or seriously injured at a U.S. mission abroad.

Census data another sign economy has bottomed out

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 02:33 PM PDT

FILE - In this June 13, 2012, file photo, a job seeker talks to a recruiter at a job fair expo in Anaheim, Calif. The U.S. economy is showing signs of finally bottoming out: Americans are on the move again after record numbers had stayed put, more young adults are leaving their parents' homes to take a chance with college or the job market, once-sharp declines in births are leveling off and poverty is slowing. Not all is well. The jobless rate remains high at 8.1 percent. Home ownership dropped for a fifth straight year to 64.6 percent, the lowest in more than a decade, hurt by more stringent financing rules and a shift to renting. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)New 2011 census figures offer glimmers of hope in an economic recovery that technically began in mid-2009.

GOP senators take to the floor to hammer Obama

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 12:30 PM PDT

FILE - In this June 12, 2012 file photo, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Lawmakers headed home for a five-week break with a laundry list of uncompleted work and little to show for the past year and a half except an eye-popping amount of dissatisfaction _ nearly 80 percent of Americans are unhappy with them. The Republican-controlled House and Democratic-led Senate have set record lows for production and record highs for dysfunction. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)The back-to-back Senate speeches covered a range of topics from the budget, to debt, to high unemployment and foreign policy.

Shuttle in Calif. after Tucson flyby to honor Gabrielle Giffords

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 01:07 PM PDT

Shuttle Endeavour Lands in California on Final Ferry FlightSpace shuttle Endeavour returned to its California roots Thursday after a wistful cross-country journey that paid homage to NASA workers and former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her astronaut husband.

Mitt Romney and the 'macaca' trap

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 12:05 PM PDT

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney talks to former U.S. Senator George Allen while eating a hotdog at the Federated Auto Parts 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in RichmondFrom Yahoo's Jeff Greenfield: A six-year old incident in a Va. town had a huge impact on the presidential prospects of Mitt Romney that still resonates today -- to his distinct disadvantage.

Ga. couple building indoor gun range ... with a full bar

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 12:22 PM PDT

A Georgia couple is building a $3.5 million indoor shooting range that will feature a full bar, serving alcohol to its patrons. So is this the start of a potentially dangerous new business model where intoxicated firearm enthusiasts will literally be shooting from the hip? Well, not exactly. WSB-TV reports that Lakeside Guns Shop owner [...]

Ex-comptroller now facing more charges in Dixon theft case

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 02:36 PM PDT

Legal troubles are mounting for former Dixon treasurer Rita Crundwell as she was hit today with additional charges -- this time by local authorities. Crundwell, accused of misappropriating more than $53 million from Dixon, now faces 60 counts of felony theft.

Endeavour flies over Ariz. in honor of Gabrielle Giffords

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 12:37 PM PDT

Space shuttle Endeavour sits atop the shuttle aircraft carrier, passes above the Austin, Texas, skyline Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012. Endeavour is making a final trek across the country to the California Science Center in Los Angeles, where it will be permanently displayed. (AP Photo/Statesman.com, Ralph Barrera) MAGS OUT; NO SALES; INTERNET AND TV MUST CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHER AND STATESMAN.COMSpace shuttle Endeavour flew over Tucson on Thursday in honor of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her astronaut husband before continuing its trek west to retirement in a Los Angeles museum.